Holder for mechanics&#39; rules.



PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

v J. P. WHITBY. HOLDER FOR MECHANICS RULES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9. 1904.

, UNITED STATES -JOSEPH P. WHITBY,

OF GOLIAD, TEXAS.

HOLDER FOR MECHANICS RULES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905 Application filed June 9,1904. Serial No. 211,862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH P. WHITBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Goliad, in the county of Goliad and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Holder for Mechanics Rules, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for supporting tools upon the clothing of the user thereof, and has for its object to provide an improved device of this character which is arranged for convenient application and re moval, and is especially adapted for the support of a mechanics rule.

Another object of the invention is to facilitate the introduction of a rule into the pocket or receptacle of the device and to permit of the ready removal therefrom, while at the same time operating to effectually prevent accidental displacement of the rule and to obviate breakage and damage thereto when fitted therein.

A still further object of the invention is to have the rule operate as a guard to prevent accidental detachment of the device from the clothing when the rule is carried by the device.

It is furthermore designed to provide for forming the pocket or receptacle of the de vice from asingle blank of metal, thereby to facilitate and cheapen the. manufacture of the device and at the same time to provide a strong and durable holder.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a holder embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device with a rule therein. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device. Fig. 5 is aview of the blank before it is folded to form a holder.

Like characters of reference designate cor responding parts in each and every figure of the drawings. 7

Referring at first more articularly to Fig. 5 of the drawings, which il ustrates the blank from which the pocket of the device is formed, 1 designates that portion of the blank which forms the back of the pocket and is substantiallyoblong in shape, while 2 designates the front member of the pocket, the blank being bent or folded at the dotted lines 3 and 4, so as to bring the front and rear members 2 and 1 into substantial parallelism. Throughout the longitudinal center of the blank extends an opening 5 to reduce the weight of the devicewithout materially detracting from the stren th thereof. The front section 2 is slight y shorter than the back section 1 and has longitudinal extensions or flaps 6, which are designed to be folded along the dotted lines 7, so as to form sides to close the edge faces between the front and back of the pocket, said flaps being soldered to the back of the pocket and the bottom 8 thereof. At the outer end of the line of bend between the front member 2 and each of the flaps 6 there is a longitudinal slit 9 to permit of the outer ends of the side members being bent or sprung outwardly into spring-lips 10, while the outer extremity of the front member is bent outwardly to produce a spring-lip 11, these lips operating to grip the rule when in serted into the pocket, and by reason of the fact that these lips flare outwardly they produce an enlar ed mouth or entrance for the pocket, and thereby facilitate the introduction of a rule into the pocket. It will here be explained that the longitudinal opening 5 in the blank constitutes a bifurcation when. the blank has been folded to form the pocket and divides the pocket into spring-sections which frictionally grip a rule when inserted into the pocket. At the back of the pocket are two spring-pins 12, the upper ends of the shanks of which are bent into spring-coils 13,

with the upper extremity of each shank por- I tion soldered or otherwise secured to the rear side of the back of the pocket. These spring-pins converge downwardly toward their free ends, which are pointed and lie within the lower portion of the opening 5, there being hooked keepers 14 carried by the back and overlapping the opposite edges of the opening 5 for the reception of the free ends of the pins after the latter have been engaged with the garment.

In using the present device the springpins 12 are thrust into the cloth and then engaged with the keepers 14, after which the rule 15 is thrust into the pocket and is supported upon the bottom thereof. By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings it will be noted that the free ends of the spring-pins engage the rule when in the pocket, and therefore cannot be displaced from the keepers so long as the rule remains in the pocket, i prising a pocket formed from a single blank wherefore it is impossible for the spring-pins to become accidentally disengaged fromthe cloth, and as the rule is snugly gripped by the spring sides of the pocket there is little or no liability of the rule being lost from the person.

It is preferred to employ two pins rather than a single pin, for the reason that two pins effectually prevent twisting of the device upon the clothing, and therefore operate to hold the device more securely in place.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent, is

1. A device of the class described comprising a pocket havin an open top and provided with a longitu inal slot in the back thereof, a hook-shaped keeper carried by the back of the pocket and overlapping the slot with its open side directed toward and opening into the pocket, and a spring-pin carried by the back of the pocket with its free end working in the slot and capable of engagement with the keeper, whereby a device within the pocket closes the keeper and constitutes a guard to prevent the pin from being pressed out of the keeper.

2. A device of the class described comof metal which is substantially rectangular in shape and is provided with an intermediate longitudinal slot and has side flaps upon one end portionthereof, the blank being bent intermediate of its ends to form the bottom, front and back of the pocket with the flaps bent to close the edge spaces between the front and back, the slot of the blank forming a bifurcation intersecting the bottom of the pocket and producing opposite elastic ocket-sections, a pin carried by the back 0 the pocket above the bifurcation with its lower free end working in said bifurcation, and a hook-shaped keeper carried by the back adjacent the lower end thereof, said keeper extending transversely across the bifurcation and opening forwardly to permit of the pin being removed therefrom into the bifurcation, whereby a device within the pocket closes the keeper and constitutes a guard to prevent the pin from being pressed out of the keeper.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH P. WHITBY. Witnesses:

W. B. PETTUs,

P. L. CA PBELL. 

